Ist November 2026

Vision 10/10. 01/11/26.
Readings Psalm 8:1-9 & Isaiah 6:1-8

I’m going to start this morning by asking you to ask yourself a personal question.  There’s no right or wrong answer, and in fact, there will probably be as many different answers as there are people here this morning.

The question is “In all honesty, why are you here this morning?”

Let me give you a moment to think about it.

The reason that I asked you is because your answer will have something to do with your “vision”, either your vision for your own spiritual life, or for that of the church, or even for both.

The King James Bible version of Proverbs 29:18 says “Without vision the people perish”.  More modern translations render it “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” which isn’t exactly the same thing.   But the King James version “Without vision the people perish” is often quoted, albeit somewhat out of context, to talk about what I’m going to talk about this morning. But that’s OK because if you think about it, it’s very true. 

“Without vision the people perish”

Why, because vision gives us direction. If you don’t know WHERE you’re going, or WHY, almost certainly you’re not going to get there.

And then there’s our ‘mission’.  Are ‘vision’ and ‘mission’ two words for the same thing, or are they different?

No, they’re different. Our vision is our goal. Our mission is how we achieve that goal.

You know the expression “he’s a man on a mission” or “she’s a woman on a mission” and you picture someone determined to achieve something.

Toulouse International Church, that we generally refer to as TIC, where Thibaud comes from, has a vision to be “diverse people, united in Christ, being transformed by Him to impact our world;”
 

The Église Protestante Internationale, EPI, the church that Charlotte and I helped to start and helped to lead for about 15 years before we came here, has a vision “to see every member grow in a deep relationship with Jesus Christ, to help others find that same joy, and to be a house of prayer for all nations.”

We have one too, but before I come on to that let’s go back to the question that I asked you right at the beginning. “Why are you here this morning?” Your reason might have something to do with your gratitude for all that Jesus has done for you and the way that your life is now so different, and so much better than it would otherwise have been.  And it might also have something to do with your desire to see others experience that same change.

So that’s why our vision, here in Mirepoix, is “to be a church where people will find family and friendship, as they get to know God, his love, and his peace.” 

That’s our vision.  So how do we go about seeing that happen.  In other words, what’s our ‘mission’? According to our internet site, and this leaflet for visitors that we’re about to print, it’s five-fold.

·  To be firmly rooted in God’s word, a church to which people “belong”.

·  To be firmly rooted in Christ, his hands and feet in our communities, expressing our faith through love.

·  To be firmly rooted in the Holy Spirit, who transforms us into the people God has created us to be.

·  To be a church that exists for those who aren’t in it yet.

·  To give regularly to missions and charities like Mary’s Meals, The Church Missionary Society, and World Vision.

O.K., let’s put all that on the back burner for a couple of minutes. I’ll come back to it.

Let’s think about families.

Families are, at their most basic a mutual support group. A place where adults and children mutually love, cherish, nourish and protect each other.

The AECMF is a family of churches.  We belong to it, and its love and support help us in all sorts of ways.

The AECMF has its own vision, and it’s “to proclaim the Gospel from everywhere to everywhere, in all areas, at all levels”, and you ladies might be interested to hear that they have a lady’s group whose vision is “to be united in Christ, moving forward together in our calling, encouraging and supporting one another, for the glory of God.”

More specifically, over the next ten years, they (or should I say we) want to start 10 new churches in 10 different towns (they currently have 44), to train or recruit 10 new pastors (they currently have 34), to organise at least 10 short term evangelistic overseas missions trips, and to pray. 

When Charlotte, Gid, and I went to the Journée Fraternelle in Toulouse two Sundays ago, Norbert Clement, a missionary paster who has pastored AECMF churches for many years, talked about their vision and mission over the last 49 years (next year is their 50th anniversary).  Then in the afternoon there was a workshop for pastors and elders to think about, and discuss, concrete ways in which we can work together, as a family, to see this new 10-year vision become a reality.

We broke up into small groups of three or four, from different churches, to brainstorm.  I said that I think that, in order to do all that, we need to be more than just a family of churches, loving, cherishing, nourishing and protecting each other, we need to be a TEAM of churches, thinking together, planning together, working together, praying together, not spectating but DOING.

In our second reading just now we heard how, some 740 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah saw God in all his glory, saw himself in all his uncleanness, but then experienced forgiveness and cleansing when one of celestial beings touched his lips with burning coals.  He then heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” and Isaiah couldn’t help but volunteer. “Here am I. Send me!” he said, committing himself to a life of holy service.

“Here am I. Send me!” So how can WE respond? Realistically, what can WE do, here in Mirepoix?  Can I suggest 4 things?

You’ll remember, perhaps that I said that our own mission includes being a church that exists for those who aren’t in it yet, and giving regularly to missions and charities.

We have already given 400€, the sum that we would normally be our annual AECMF contribution, but from which we are exonerated for the first 2 years, to their Bible student training budget.

Last week we heard how Jesus broke into Thibaut’s life, set him free, literally overnight, from all his addictions and habits, and how he, Nawal and Sophia are now working so effectively amongst the student population of Toulouse. I think it would be awesome if we could support his team both financially and in prayer, and I’ve already suggested that to the church council.

We heard a similar testimony from my friend Mally when he was here 2 years ago.  That was when he took many of the photos on our internet site. He will be back with his wife Val, and daughter Pearl, in 2 weeks’ time, to share with us his vision, his passion, to plant a new church in the city of Paris, called City Life Church. Wouldn’t it be amazing to support them in the same ways?

Thirdly, Charlotte has had the idea of maybe starting a group of us who will commit to pray, for a few minutes each day, for our mission, for Thibaut and Nawal, for Mally and Val, for the 10 new churches and pastors, for those 10 mission’s trips, for the other churches that will be praying with us, and so on.  If that grabs you, will you talk to Charlotte?

And lastly, consider tithing, but we haven’t got time for that today.  Next week perhaps.